19 posts categorized "Get In The Game - Gaming"

November 28, 2011

It's all the rage! But what is it exactly? Lets start with a basic definition:

ga∙mi∙fi∙ca∙tion [gay-muh-fi-kay-shuhn]: integrating game dynamics into your site, service, community, content or campaign, in order to drive participation.

The use of game dynamics into marketing is not new. It's popularity has grown in recent years as a strategy for influencing and motivating groups of people. Brand marketers are just starting to realize the power it has to improve customer engagement, build loyalty, and incent employees and partners to perform. In a world where everyone [millennials] gets a trophy, how will your brand engage your customers?

Conceptually, gamification has the potential to solve a variety of problems outside the business world as well, in areas such as:

The technique can encourage people to perform chores that they ordinarily consider boring, such as completing surveys, shopping, filling out tax forms, or reading web sites.

But just like anything in business life you must beware of all the HYPE! Understanding how and why gamification works, in what contexts it is most effective, and what the limits are of this approach will be highly useful in sorting out the useful bits. In the next few posts I hope to help provide a basic foundation and definition for the concept of gamification.

At its core, gamification applies the mechanics of gaming to non- game activities to change people’s behavior. When used in a business context, gamification is the process of integrating game dynamics (and game mechanics) into a website, business service, online community, content portal, or marketing campaign in order to drive participation and engagement.

Increasing Participation and EngagementThe overall goal of gamification is to engage with your customers and get them to participate, share and interact in some activity or community. A particularly compelling, dynamic, and sustained gamification experience can be used to accomplish a variety of business goals.

Game Mechanics & Game DynamicsThese two terms are closely related and sometimes used interchangeably. For our purposes, game mechanics are the various actions, behaviors, and control mechanisms that are used to “gamify” an activity — the aspects that, taken together, create a compelling, engaging user experience. The compelling, motivational nature of this experience is, in turn, the result of desires and motivations we call game dynamics.

A progress bar or other visual meter to indicate how close people are to completing a task a company is trying to encourage, such as completing a social networking profile or earning a frequent shopper loyalty award.

Humans have been playing games in various forms since the days of the caveman, and competition is deeply ingrained in the human psyche. Given this wide acceptance of gaming and the emergence of the internet, people have become more open to game mechanics in other parts of their lives. As a result, “gamification” is becoming a powerful tool that organizations teach, persuade, and motivate people.

Whether it is Frequent Flyer Programs, Samsung Nation, Nike and iPod's Nike+ or Starbucks or American Express & Foursquare we all at play.

The initial set of games includes, the addictive, Angry Birds by, Rovio, PopCap's Bejeweled, and Zynga's Poker – and it’s attracting big developers like EA with a sweet new revenue model. Google only takes 5% of game revenues, as opposed to Facebook which takes 30%.

But you have to ask yourself, with such a tiny slice of the social market, compared to Facebook's huge slice of the pie, what brought those big name game developers to the fledgling network? Could it be that G+ has a different audience than facebook's young social gamers?

Have you played yet? I found it easy and fun.

If you’re a developer interested in building games for Google+, you can learn more on the new Google+ developer blog.

October 27, 2010

Adidas does a fantastic job of galvanizing its Facebook followers into action with a new turn-based game challenging players to capture big soccer cities.

Connecting via Facebook, players are launched into head-to-head battle with members of the adidas Football online community. Once a player picks their city, they are transported to a Google Maps-style view of the urban sprawl, divided into hundreds of segmented areas. It is up to the gamer to then claim these territories in text-based, one-on-one battles by attacking the space-holder with a choice of three skills, then defending the spot from new challengers with three blocking moves.

More than 3,000 players were using the game prior to its official launch via the adidas Football wall and its 2.3m followers this week.

May 21, 2010

This is one to watch! This is the first stage of a Nike journey that will ultimately see fans around the world write their own future through experiences that put them at the center of the action. In June, fans will be able to live like their heroes through a unique experience on nikefootball.com that generates ripple videos and visuals from their own photos and information, placing them at the center stage.

It was directed by renowned Hollywood director and producer Alejandro G. Iñarritu (21 Grams, Babel).
Footballers can use this creative to build their own Facebook campaign to get noticed and selected for “The Chance” – an elite Nike Academy football camp in partnership with the Barclays Premier League in England that allows players to get scouted and get noticed at the highest level of the game.

September 12, 2009

When have you seen any piece of technology fuse one generation of people to another in a way that they can all actively participate in one mission? Its a rare occurrence. I found that fusion with The Beatles: Rock Band. I had to keep myself from spontaneously belting out "All You Need is Love..." in a room full of people.

My parents still reminisce about watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan Show.

Now with The Beatles: Rock Band, my parents can sing and share the Beatles with their grandchildren on just about any game console. The cross over in technology and music is one of the most fascinating parts of this new generation of Beatles' releases.

The one thing I love about The Beatles: Rock Band is that it allows you to pick up the guitar, bass, mic
or drums and experience The Beatles catalogue of music
through a global game of karaoke that takes players on a journey through the legacy and
evolution of the band’s legendary career.

This is also the only place you can get The Beatles music for download onto a digital device. If you looking to have some quality family time this winter, I highly recommend
The Beatles: Rock Band.

September 05, 2008

Its has been a while since my kids have watched Sesame Street... But they did. I am still convinced that Rebecca and Rachel learned the alphabet from the cast of characters designed to teach via entertainment. So when I returned from vacation to find a press release about the new Sesame Street site in my ON:InBox, my interest was peaked to see how the geniuses at the Children's Television Workshop approached digital engagement for kids.

Not much has changed. Their TV success has now transitioned and converged for the generation who lived converged lives. Preschoolers online is their target and they do amazing job creating an engaging educational content for kids. The new SesameStreet.org, is a meaningful
interactive experience that takes their best practices and content and expands them in ways that most have not thought about before.

The site was designed for both parents and their preschoolers (the primary audience) without the typical use of toggling between content. They are both addressed, instructed and entertained in the same interface. The use parent tips are smart.

The 2 years of ideas, research and $14 million dollars later, SesameStreet.org lives up to its brand of education for pre-schoolers like no other site I have seen.

June 14, 2008

What's more important than fresh breathe? Nothing, if you are about to set the stage for a meaningful kiss!

The Mentos launch of “Kiss Fight” (much like fight club - accept we talk about kiss fight) has really got the right formula to increase product volume and velocity with a creative idea that puts their product between you and the perfect kiss.

Kiss Fight is smart and in touch. Now that I have a teenager who is at the "Kissing" age – I have found that it is no longer the sappy act of the perfect kiss. the kissing kids are looking for the best action kiss. Mentos has done a great job of evolving the sappy to the fresh moves category. A fresh move is about taking the sublte to action and carpe diem!

I love the game! I enjoyed playing out the scenes. The game designed for maximum freshness. The video production and compression was superb. The subtle hints of brand at every turn were memorable enough for me to run out and recapture my youth with a pack of fresh and fruity Mentos. (now all I have to do is up seize the next opportunity for a kiss with the hubby.)

Sharpen your eye for the moment when you an seize a kiss at http://www.mentoskissfight.com I highly recommend you playing through to the hot mom / cougar / M.I.L.F moment.